FLO Pune highlights domestic violence through a short film

In order to create awareness on domestic violence and physical abuse against women, the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), Pune chapter, recently released a short film, ‘Swamaan Se’, meaning ‘with dignity’ and ‘with self-respect’, on its annual day function held online. The film has been written and directed by Deepti Ghatge and produced by Dr Aneeta Sanas, chairperson of FLO Pune and Neeru Goyal, member.

According to Sanas, there had been an increase in domestic violence cases, especially in upper middle-class families, in the lockdown period.

“We wanted to bring up this issue in the public eye as it is our responsibility to help women who have been seeking justice. We want to urge them to not succumb to societal pressures and walk out of abusive relationships,” said Sanas.

The setting in the film is a wedding, which serves as a new start, not just for a woman but potentially three of them. Aasha, the protagonist, hides her wounds, her pain, like any other woman, but eventually, she speaks up. The film does not give a place or voice to the one who commits this abuse, and even though this film speaks of violence, it is not a part of the film and so, it is only suggestive through the marks on the protagonist’s body.

“Not rape, but domestic violence is the number one crime committed against women in India. The National Commission for Women (NCW) reported that in April 2020, there was an almost 100 per cent increase in domestic violence cases and this data does not include the countless cases that go unreported. Our biggest objective in making this film is to create awareness regarding this issue and to have a dialogue going,” said Ghatge.

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